


My neighbor

by DragonLady90



Category: One Piece
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-03-09 14:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18919060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonLady90/pseuds/DragonLady90
Summary: Just some ZoTash fluff using a random prompt. Tashigi can’t stop thinking about her crude and silent neighbor next door. He’s slowly getting under her skin, while she attempts to just be a friendly neighbor and help him with his cold. Modern AU.





	My neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> Hello :) I'm trying to write more one-shots, so I tried with prompts. I got "I'm sick" prompt, and decided to stir it into ZoTash fluff. Enjoy!  
> Do not own One Piece or the characters.  
> *Inner thoughts and flashbacks in italic.

The rain beat heavily on her window sill. She found peace in the rain. There's nothing more she loved than spending a rainy day at home with a cup of tea and a good book.

Her apartment was her sanctuary. Some would say it was a little too cramped, but she paid no mind to it. Tashigi was a sucker for old things.

The affinity for collecting items was her aunt's fault. She spent so much of her childhood around her antique shop.

For example, her small but intriguing collections of katana replicas her father started; antique clock she inherited from her grandparents in the living room; pottery she found on a flea market, a brass lamp on her nightstand from her previous neighbors and so many knick-knacks...

As long as the object in her quirky collection had a story or was treasured by someone once upon a time it was welcomed.

Her precious apartment was painted in the warmest of colors of the sun, with one bedroom and bathroom and lots of flowers.

_It 's good that I came from work earlier._

Twilight stripped the colors of the day, making her feel drowsy. She yawned, stretching.

Almost every day of the week was like this. And once or twice, she came home soaking wet. Her eyes rested on the grayish landscape of buildings across a little longer, before she decided to go into the kitchen and make something to eat.

Her thoughts drifted to her neighbor. He recently moved into the apartment next door; a tall and athletic man, Roronoa Zoro. She found out his name by chance, once she went to pick up her mail the day before yesterday. His bills were in her mailbox and it naturally caught her eye. Not that she was a person to pry, but she knew everyone in the building so he had to be the one whose mail was displaced. As the curiosity tickled her, the man entered the building, shaking off the remainings of the rain, opening the mailbox beside hers. She caught the lines of his profile and could perceive that he was in a bad mood.

Perhaps, the rain was to blame.

_"Um..." The voice caught in her throat, her heart beating faster._

_The man was still scowling and turned to leave, not hearing her or deliberately ignoring her._

_"E-Excuse me!" Tashigi raised her voice and he immediately stopped._

_He turned his head, glancing at her from the corner of his eye._

_"Your mail..." She paused, as his frown intensified. She gulped. "Um, are you," she peeped at the envelopes in her hand in search of reassurance. "R-Roronoa Zoro?"_

_"Hah," he let out a grunt, walking over to her. "They messed up again."_

_He reached, taking the mail from her hands. "Thanks." He turned to leave yet again._

_"W-Well..." Tashigi spoke, even though it was clear to her he was not that talkative. "It would help if you would label your mailbox."_

_He raised his brow, giving her a sharp stare. She clutched the papers in her hand._

_"You have a point." And to her shock, he smirked at her, resuming his pace._

The next day, his mailbox was marked.

Why did this man perk her curiosity so much? He had no manners and was a quiet neighbor. Which was a good thing?

Okay, she wanted to go and introduce herself properly a few times, but each time she stopped herself.

_Just leave it be, Tashigi. You can't be a friendly neighbor to everyone in the building._

Yes, perhaps that was bothering her. Such a silly thing.

A harsh knock on the door made her jerk, and she dropped her chopsticks.

She opened the door a little worried, her eyes wide.

It was her rude neighbor.

"Hi... Do you have something to eat?"

Tashigi wondered if she was hallucinating. When she realized it was real, she quickly replied, "Uh, yeah?"

His stomach growled as if the man didn't eat for a week.

"Mind sharing?" He smiled, not an ounce of embarrassment. "I got back late from work and my fridge is empty and I hate buying groceries. This damn rain..."

Tashigi blinked a few more times before she showed him the insides of her apartment.

"Thanks, I'll repay you." Faintly smiling, he got in.

_Ah... I have to watch what I'm wishing for._  Tashigi shook her head, closing the door.

* * *

The road to his good side was food and sake. Well, he would take care of the sake. She wasn't much of a drinker, but he said it wasn't for her anyway. He did let her taste a little bit of it later. When she tried and disliked it, he finished her glass too, mumbling how he never shared sake and that she should be honored. Whether he was drunk or not, she couldn't tell. But, she witnessed his tough armor easing up.

Several days had passed, and she knew plenty of things about him. He was a firefighter, gym enthusiast and hated dining alone... Which made him her companion most of the nights.

_Who was the strange one here?_

And rather soon, she ceased to ask that question, as their unusual friendship flourished. She enjoyed his stories when he felt like sharing. He never complained about his work or talk about his feelings. That was fine. She didn't expect him to be the guy who would voluntarily tap into his inner troubles.

Most of the time she would talk about herself and he would listen to her frustration about the challenges her job as a teacher involved. He proved to be an exceptional listener, getting straight to the point no matter how rude or inappropriate it seemed.

Yet, he was not like any of the guys she met. The ones who would gaze at her lustfully, having one thing on their mind, or pretending to be gentlemen to get that one thing on their mind. She didn't date much, but she met both kinds. It made her self-conscious about her body more than she would like, bringing up a few ignored insecurities.

In his company, she felt liberated. He didn't care about her makeup or the lack of it, her "nerdy" and old-fashioned glasses she did not want to get rid of cause they were a memento from her father, or that she liked to hide her body beneath baggy layers and tunic tops. Yes, his lack of interest in her as a woman, proved to be refreshing, for the time being. Until... One night, after the meal, while they relaxed on her couch, he brought up a somewhat personal subject. The chief had asked him to pose for a calendar for charity purposes.

Of course, she knew about the famous Firefighters calendar... It made her cheeks warm in a second, imagining him.

"...It's really big."

Tashigi immediately recovered. "Huh?"

"My scar."

"Oh. Where-"

"Here. Didn't you listen?"

Her brain shut off when he got up, unbuttoning his shirt. She sucked in a sharp breath, gawking at his exposed torso. Chiseled chest, sculptured six-packs, skin which was tempting to touch, even for her.

Then, she finally notices; the large scar, stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip? She couldn't quite see because it was obscured by the line of his pants. Not that she wanted to see him without pants!

Her cheeks were now sizzling hot, and the heart sped up as if she climbed the highest building via stairs. It looked like a washed-out fishbone adjusting and molding to the curves of his body but is somehow suited a man like him. It made him more unique, more attractive in her eyes...

_Attractive? Get yourself together, Tashigi!_

Her body was screaming at the built-up tension within her, strange excitement swooping in her belly, and she averts her eyes not being able to withstand the sight of his revealed flesh.

His strict jaw tensed. "See? It makes people uncomfortable."

_It's not the scar that made me feel uncomfortable!_  Tashigi wanted to scream at his face.  _It's you taking off your shirt all of the sudden!_

She would have voiced her opinion if there wasn't a trace of hurt in his eyes. "I told him that, but he insists." He frowned, staring at his scar.

"W-What happened?" She timidly asks, still not being able to look properly his way.

"You mean this?" He runs his fingers through his hair. "Smoke explosion knocked me down a staircase, and the roof collapsed later. I could have died. It was fortunate I got away even with this scar... I got lucky, the chief said. The man and the kid were okay too. I managed to pull them out before the whole thing came down on me."

Her eyes went wide, her lips pulling into an unconscious smile. The man in front of her, no matter how crude and odd, was a hero. It was his duty of protection and braveness that radiated the most, amidst the flames of chaos. As she gained more material to admire, she believed that the best aspect of him was raw honesty.

Tashigi lifts from the couch, stopping in front of him. He blinked, raising his eyebrows when her fingers smoothed over the streak on his chest.

She was nervous, her legs shaky, as she tried to think of something meaningful to say. He stared, his eyes resting on her, not unblinking but slowed; almost intrigued by her touch.

A spark of sensation overwhelmed her at the contact with the sunken cicatrix. He tensed up a bit, letting out a small huff, and when she finally gathers the gut to look at him, his face settled in the hard lines, extinguishing any trace of emotion.

"It still aches sometimes, even after all these years... Like a ghost of the past." He spokes, his voice stern, although he didn't push her away.

"I was a rookie when it happened..." he began slowly. "But this scar taught me a thing or two."

Tashigi gazed into his eyes, expecting a clarification.

"It taught me not to barge into a raging fire like a cocky fool and if I do, to run faster and be sure I can carry a lot of weight... It's also a reminder of my failure."

His face clouded, and he moves away from her, buttoning his shirt.

"Failure? But you did not fail anyone." Tashigi hears herself speak without proper thought or preparation.

He lets out a grunt.

"You did not!"

He turned his back to her.

"Listen to me, you did not fail." When she grasped his upper arm, sudden coldness hit her core.  _Dear lord, his biceps was huge..._  He could probably carry her and someone else with just that, one arm!

Tashigi quickly pulls out of it, trying to recover her course of thoughts.

"You... You risked your life to save people and you did it. And you could have died too! Sure, you should think about your actions beforehand, but hesitating is not good either. My point is... You should do it. The calendar thing."

For a while, he didn't move. His face was unreadable.

Her spirit sunk into the gutter of uncertainness, reminding her of the boundaries she must have crossed, and that she had no right to tell anything to the man whose life was on the stake every day.

"I should do it. Just like that?" He mutters.

She nodded, relieved to have some feedback.

He gave a rumbling growl, like a chuckle, lifting the same arm she tried to grab not so long ago.

"Fine." His lips curved into a semi-smile, and his palm settled on top of her head.

Tashigi forgot how to breathe, as he caressed her head, a little rough at first then tender.

She had troubles soothing her raging heart that night.

The second time he let out something resembling a chuckle was when they were climbing the stairs up to their apartments; she missed the stair almost falling when he casually showed her his picture that was going to be in the calendar.

It seems that her neighbor found a hobby - testing her poor heart.

* * *

"Achoo!" He sneezed again. Tashigi shook her head at the hopeless man. To sneeze once or twice in a row was a coincidence, to sneeze uncontrollably three days in a row was far from it.

Every time she mentioned the cold, he would take it as a joke. Her neighbor had a mindset of a child when it came to curing a common cold... Or any type of disease for the matter. She had offered him medications, but he simply man's cure to everything was "sweat it out in the gym" or "taking a cold shower to toughen up" and "sake, for stomach ache."

Still, she managed to put an aspirin in his pocket, just in case.

The following day, he called out to her when she was taking the stairs. The elevator was broken for the fifth time that month.

"Yo, Tashigi!"

She nearly dropped the bags she was carrying.

"Take this crap," he frowned, giving her back the aspirin.

She lets out a sigh.

"I don't need it. I worked it out in a gym, and I'm feeling better already."

_His stubbornness knows no limits._  She eases up, tucking the medication in her pocket.

They talked a bit as they walked up the stairs, and their hands brush as he insisted on taking one of her bags.

She froze, not because of the sudden contact, but because he was hot... As in, he was burning.

She stopped, scrutinizing him. "Are you... Alright?"

"Yeah, why?" He lifted a brow.

"Excuse me," she pressed her free hand to his forehead. No doubt. He had a fever. Tashigi scowled. He may be saving lives, but really, the man sucked at battling the cold.

"You have a fever. I'm surprised you're standing up." She tried to sound grave.

He grinned wider, "That's my stamina for you-"

"That was not a compliment!" She snapped.

"Don't make a fuss about this, it's nothing." He waved his hand, dismissing it like it was irrelevant.

"If you keep on like this, you will collapse, and most likely on duty!" She angrily marched up the stairs leaving him perplexed. "At least," she came back down swiftly, taking her bag from his hand. "Take this and sleep! Rest! Don't do stupid things; you'll only make it worse." She grabbed his hand putting the aspirin into his palm. As she resumed her climbing, she snuck a glance at him; he looked like a lost lamb.

A week passed since then. Not seeing him made her more uneasy; more distracted, causing her work to suffer. Tashigi caught herself thinking about him anew and anew, truly hoping he took her words of warning seriously.

"Or he could be running half-naked down the street." She was close to a heart attack when he waved at her on the street, jogging in the rain, wearing nothing but sweatpants and sneakers.

Women and few men did turn their heads when he passed by, but she wasn't sure if they were simply stunned to see an idiot running at chilly weather or because that idiot was... Attractive.

_Tashigi, stop it. You do not find him attractive. You do not._

_It's just a concern. Yes._

"If he continues like that he will wind up in the hospital." She bites her lip. "That's not my problem." She tried to concentrate on the essays in her hands, listening to the rain.

_It's pouring... What if he's outside and... He collapsed?_

"Great," she sighed. "Now I can't get it out of my head."

_Nah he won't... He couldn't be such a stubborn fool._

Ten minutes later, she was in the elevator dressed in her raincoat, carrying a huge umbrella.

_What am I doing, exactly? For all I know, he could be at work..._

He wasn't at his place, she checked.

Just as the elevator door opened to the ground floor, he walks in. He looked better, his hair was a little damp as well as his aviator jacket.

"Oh, hey." His forehead furrowed. "Going somewhere?"

"Actually... No. I was just... I changed my mind." She stared at her feet.

"So... Up?"

"Yeah." Tashigi felt like a complete moron.

He pressed a button with the number of their floor, and the elevator lurched into action with a vibrating groan, that made her stomach uneasy.

Silence dwelled between the two of them, causing her a hint of sadness. Why can't she say something? Anything?

"I..."

She looks up at him.

"I took an aspirin, and I slept, almost the whole day." He mutters, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

_Was it an olive branch?_

She smiles, relieved that the tension disappeared. Now, she could finally finish grading those essays.

"That's good. Feeling better?"

"Yes." He approaches her, bending his head forward, towards her.

She stared cluelessly until she realized he wanted her to check his fever.

_A kid._

"You are still warm, but I guess you'll be alright. Just don't push yourself-Eek!" She let out a squeak losing her balance when the elevator halted harshly, and the lights dimmed.

His hands were around her in mere seconds, preventing the fall.

"What the hell?" His forehead puckered. "Don't tell me this shit broke again." He groaned. "I should have taken the stairs, but I didn't cause your bothersome voice was nagging me that I shouldn't strain myself."

Tashigi gasped, word of thanks for preventing her fall hanging on her lips.  _He's angry with me?_

"Well, you're a big baby who can't take care of his health!"

"I told you, I have my way of doing things!"

"You-! You should take better care of yourself! It's common sense!" She was losing her nerve wrapped in his muscular arms, trying to mimic indifference. "You can l-let go now..."

"In case you didn't notice," he did not release his grip, ignoring her. She could have sworn it grew stronger. "I am not like other people."

"Fine! Do whatever you want!" Tashigi shouted, facing the sudden sass in his eyes; she tried to push him away.

"Fine!" He yelled back at her, his arms not budging an inch.

"Fine!" She repeated, not wanting his word to be the last.

"That's what I said!" It seems he didn't want hers to be, either.

"And I agreed!"

"Great! We agreed on something!" He continued to taunt her, clenching his jaw. Her body temperature was rising, and she convinced herself it was because of the annoyance she felt. She wished he would stop squeezing her against him; she also wished he never stops. There was nothing sexual about the way he held her, but it felt incredibly intimate.

He emitted a sound between a sigh and a growl of frustration. "Stay calm," he whispered into her ear. His arms held her steady, while his breath tickled her cheek. She withheld another yelp.

"I-I am c-calm," She weakly replied. "Y-You can let go now..."

"Yeah, and risk of you doing something stupid."

"Wha-?" She stared at his uncivil grin. "You have mistaken me for you!"

"Oh, so now I'm stupid. Anything else you wanna add?"

"You are so irksome! I can't believe I was worried about you!" She turned her head away from him, forgetting the seriousness of the situation.

_Uh-Oh. Did I just-_

"You were worried about me?"

Tashigi's mouth press into a hard line. There, she said it. Now, he won't let her hear the end of it.

"Is that why you came down?"

She couldn't look him in the eyes after his voice changed; it was softer than she ever believed it could be.

"Look at me," he gently nudged her chin to face him.

"Y-Yeah..." She admitted like a child caught in the mischievous act. "S-So w-what?"

He chortled.

"Don't mock me!" She punched his chest lightly. Even if she tried to punch him for real, he probably wouldn't feel it.

"I'm not..." His hand was on the top of her head again, ruffling her hair into a mess. "I'm glad."

A flush of adrenaline tingled throughout her body. _Did I hear him right?_

The lights flashed brightly, blinding her a little, and the elevator proceeded up.

"Guess we got lucky," he said as he released her from his embrace.

"Y-Yeah," she pressed a free hand on her cheek, feeling the warmth.

When they exited, Tashigi swore she would never take the elevator again.

"Hey..." He stopped her before she put the key into the lock of her apartment.

"Yes?"

"Wanna go out sometime?"

That was the closest she felt to having a genuine heart attack.

* * *

Roronoa Zoro was not a child when it came to other things. Things like... Asking her out again, or casually wrapping his arm around her when they shared an umbrella after getting back from the movies.

It was all bad on her heart who hammered every time he looked her in the eyes, smiled or did something unexpected. For instance, waiting for her to finish work at school and walking her home. He also participated in her lesson, talking to kids about his job as a firefighter.

It was safe to say they were... Dating. It sounded strange in her head, as it didn't feel different than the time they usually spent together in the past... Except for holding hands and snuggling on the couch whenever they watched TV. It didn't get past that, and she was fine with it.

No, that wasn't entirely true.

She was not fine with it.

She wanted a kiss. It signified an affirmation in her mind that they were indeed involved romantically.

But sadly, she was too much of a coward to make a move. How could she, when a simple touch of his hand, made her lose her mind?

"You waiting up on me? Now, that's a surprise." He grinned, as he exited the fire department.

Her cheeks went in flames the instant she saw him.

Oh, the irony. He, a firefighter, setting her insides on fire.

"Y-Yeah, s-stop grinning, and hurry up, I forgot to bring an umbrella with me." She stared down, pushing past him.

"What's the rush?" He grasped her forearm, tugging her towards him.

"H-Hey..?"

"Is that your girlfriend Roronoa?" An unfamiliar man called out to him from the fire department.

"Yeah." He possessively wrapped his hand around her shoulders. Tashigi's brain went blank at the casualness in admitting that she was his girlfriend.

"Oh, somebody is cranky." The man teased, grinning. Few more had joined in.

"Let's go," he frowned, dragging her in the wrong direction.

"Lady, if this guy is forcing himself on you blink slowly twice!" One of the men shouted, taunting laughs echoing behind them.

"They are just messing around, ignore the bastards," he threw another glare at his co-workers.

After she recuperated, it started to rain, and in a matter of minutes, it was pouring.

"I told you! And this is the wrong way!"

"Stop nagging, this is a shortcut. And it's only water!"

"It's not-!"

"Let's make a run for it!" His hand glided down her arm, catching her hand in his. His fingers laced with hers, and at that moment she hears only the fast thud of her heart.

They were soaking wet when they finally got to their apartments.

"Are you still angry with me?" He slicked his wet hair back.

"No... It's fine." She pouted, sweeping her soggy hair from her face. "Just take a shower and-"

"Yes, mom."

"Jerk, I'm only saying that because-"

"You are worried about me, right?"

She slowly nodded, confused by the tone of his voice and his sudden closeness. Following the next moment, he leaned closer to her, their noses touching. He smelled like something sweet and warm, injecting the images in her mind where her head was laying on his chest until the sleep consumed her. She closes her eyes.

His breath tickled her when he whispered, "I... Want to kiss you. May I?"

Tashigi didn't manage to form a nod when he pressed his lips against hers. He ran his thumb along her damp jawline and down her neck, kissing her slowly but with a certain intensity. Her heart was pounding hard, her legs threatening to give up, but he held her against him. It was mind-numbing and incredible...

It was the first kiss with her neighbor.

* * *

_"I'm sick. Can't come today,"_  he texted her one day, while she was at work. They've been dating for a couple of months.

Tashigi's brows puckered. It was strange, bizarre, and unacceptable.

If she knew her boyfriend...

_Boyfriend..._ She let the word sink in, causing her the familiar rush of excitement. Ahem… Her stubborn boyfriend, he would never admit to being sick, let alone be resting at home like normal people.

_Something was up, or he was seriously... Ill?_   _A disease that would make Roronoa rest in bed and take the day off? Extremely questionable._

Tashigi couldn't wait for her workday to finish so she could gallop to his apartment and see what was going on.

Just to be safe, she texted him that she would come to visit him after work, and he replied that his spare key was under the doormat.

_How original._

But then again, who would dare to break into the apartment of a man who looked like one of those hard-core, badass, bounty hunters from a TV show he loved to watch?

She bought soup and some fruits at the convenience store, before going home. Tashigi quickly stopped by her place to leave her things, bringing only the items she bought for him. Having no problem to find the key to his apartment, she unlocked the door to the darkness. Flipping the switch, the light turns on, illuminating his half-empty apartment. Tashigi walked in the direction of a small kitchen, placing the soup and the fruits on the counter.

She did not visit his apartment often even though they knew each other for a while. Tension always got to her when he would suggest they should hang out at his place for a change; she did not have clear reasons why she did not want to, and thankfully he did not ask.

Though, she felt a certain pressure now that they were officially dating... When certain things were expected of her as a girlfriend... And she was scared.

Tashigi casts a glance over the polar opposite of her apartment; minimalism was his way of living. He had told her once that he liked this place because it had a right price, no bugs, great view from the balcony and just what he needed - bed, couch, a place to eat, drink and shower.

He was pleased with basic things that made life easier. She had to agree that the view was spectacular. Tashigi did not have a balcony but her apartment was larger than his. The balcony was a concrete square with a rail that needed paint, because it was rusty, a small table for one, but he added another chair just for her. Roronoa was not a man to have potted plants, but he liked to sit here and enjoy the breeze and sun, even the rain.

She snaps away from her thoughts, making her way to his bedroom.

No, she did not see it. Never made it past the living room.

She gulped.

_C'mon, what are you afraid of!? He could be in a lot of pain or..._

Tashigi took in a deep breath, opening the door. "Hello..." She greeted the darkness, her muscles tensing.

"You came." He spoke softly.

"O-Of course." She walked in, closing the door behind her. "Can you turn the light-"

He beat her to it by turning on the lamp on his bedside table, that was a chair, actually. His room was pretty simple; the huge, platform bed was in the center of it, with the navy blue comforter; behind the bed was an elegant wood panel and the gray rug at the bottom of the bed.

It was painted a dove gray, and there were no pictures on the wall.

Tashigi squeezed her hands into a fist... Damn, she was tempted to fill this room with all kinds of stuff, it was so bare! Her eyes caught the glimpse of three katanas on the wall, and she rushes towards them, her nerdy brain inspecting every inch of the precious items.

A fake cough interferes with her daze.

"Tashigi... Aren't you forgetting something?" He uttered, frowning.

"Huh?" Tashigi scratched her cheek.

"The reason you came here?" He rubbed the back of his neck, sitting up in bed.

"Uh-Oh! Y-Yes! I mean sorry..." She mentally slapped herself. "How are you feeling? Can I do something for you?" She fiddled with the edge of her baggy sweater.

"Can you come closer? I can't get out of this bed... My limbs are sooo heavy..."

Tashigi looked at him suspiciously. He seemed fine to her. Then again, she wasn't wearing her glasses so she could be mistaken.

"Sure," she approached him, and when she did, he wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her down.

He did it so fast, that she had a delayed reaction.

"Eek! W-What are you d-doing?!" She wiggled in his arms.

"Be my body pillow."

"H-Hey! I didn't agree with that! L-Let me g-go!"

"You are so cruel... And stop squirming around, I'm not going to do anything to you." He put his arms around her tightly, and once she felt his scent, her muscles started to loosen. It was the warmness of safety and care, she realized.

"You're not really sick, are you?" She mumbled after some time.

"Want to check it?" He rises a little, loosening the grip around her. "Looks like I have a fever." He leaned in a smirk on his face.

"You are a terrible liar, Zoro." She mutters, staring at his lips.

But he did not cut the distance between them with a kiss.

His eyes shot open, casting her long look, her heartbeat outpacing her ability to think.

"That's the first time you called me by my name."

"No...C'mon..."

_It can't be, can it?_  Tashigi tried to search through her memories.

"It is, you always call me by my last name, and it's kinda annoying." He lies beside her again, his arm now lazily resting on her stomach.

Tashigi's heart clenched at his words. She knew she would be far from a good girlfriend but to be so... So clumsy in essential and simple things in a relationship...

"Why didn't you say something? If you wanted me to come over, you could have just said so."

"Yeah right, you barely came into my apartment the few times you did." He sighed. "I had to take some desperate measures..." He rises again, hovering over her and looking into her eyes. "Are you still afraid of me?"

"I... I..."

He lets out an exasperated sigh. "Just go home, then."

"I'm not afraid of you!" This time around, she lifted herself, looming over him. "I-I'm just so nervous!" She felt relieved admitting to her impediment.

The corners of his eyes crinkled, brows drew together. "Why?"

"Cause... I'm not good girlfriend material. And I don't know-"

His rough palm cupped her cheek. "I'm nervous too. Not exactly the boyfriend material myself." He chuckles.

Her shoulders relax and she lays her head on his chest, feeling the vibrating of his heart. "So... what are we going to do?"

"Nothing, we'll go with our own pace." He draped his arm around her. "Who says we have to be a typical couple?" His other hand caressed her head, his fingers combing through her long hair.

"I would like that... And you're right... I should come more often.

She felt his lips on her forehead before she drifted into sleep.

It was the first night of many she spent at her neighbor's - her boyfriend's apartment.


End file.
